We were at Baskin Robbins to get icecream (I was hoping to get a free cone for my birthday, but it turns out you have to go to the web site and signup for spam in order to get a coupon for free icecream), so Max picks out some strange flavor with green and purple swirls, and I'm looking for something. I decide on Strawberry, because that's my second favorite flavor. I mention this to the person at the counter, and they ask me what my favorite flavor is. "Coconut Pineapple," I reply. "We have that flavor," she says. Really?

Coconut pineapple is this very strange combination that became my favorite back in the days of Thrifty Drugs Icecream. Back before playlands and stores focused on selling to preschoolers, the best marketing tool was cheap icecream cones (originally a dime, later on a quarter—still a great price). They're selection was somewhat limited, and past the usual vanilla and chocolate, some of the flavors were quite strange. Being a 13 year old kid at the time, strange was my reson d'etre; so I tried all the weirdest things, including the icecream.

Lumps of under-ripe yellow fruit in my icecream is still just as strange as it was way back when.

This week I was getting ready for my flight out, and I was pondering what to do for drinks. They used to serve a decent variety of drinks on the flights, but they've cut back further and further to the point where if you don't coke or diet, then you're pretty much out of luck. So I stop by the local minimart on the way to the airport, but unfortunately all I can find is Pepsi & Coke drinks. Sure I can survive a bottle of Dr. Pepper berries and cream on the flight, but it wasn't what I was really wanted. I go to pay for my DPBC but ask if they have any 7-up products. Turns out that over in a side cabinet, around the corner from the regular drink cabinets, below so odd brand of fruit drinks, on the very bottom shelf, they've got products from the 7-up bottler, including Orange Crush.

Saved again by standing up and being extra annoying.